Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (12 April 1550-24 June 1604) was an English peer, courtier, and poet of the English Renaissance.

Biography
Edward de Vere was born in Hedingham Castle, Essex, England on 12 April 1550, the only son of the immensely wealthy John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford. He succeeded to the earldom at the age of twelve and became the ward of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, Queen Elizabeth I of England's principal counselor. At the age of seventeen, he ran through an unarmed bystander while practicing his fencing, but the coroner's jury, influenced by Cecil, declared that the victim had committed suicide by spitting himself on the sword. De Vere continued to life a life of recklessness and indulgence, writing poetry over the years; he wrote both plays and lyric poems. He was estranged from his wife, Anne Cecil (William's daughter), for five years after refusing to believe that their first child was his; likewise, he was estranged from Queen Elizabeth when he impregnated her maid of honor Anne Vavasour. He reconciled with the Queen in 1583, but all opportunities for advancement had been squandered. He died in 1604, having dissipated an enormous fortune.